It was nice to know that Twilightstar had also thought of eating the minks. It made good sense. But, as he stared at the ShadowClan she-cat in front of him, he wondered, What if ShadowClan wants to take the minks for themselves? A horrible memory seared through him: the WindClan patrol trying to deliver the prey compensation to Dawnstar and being attacked by Grimhound and his blood-lusters. WindClan's territory had been taken, their warriors slaughtered, their pelts stripped so they were unrecognizable. A wave of nausea and rage roiled through him. It flashed briefly in his eyes, igniting them like amber fires, and for a heartbeat, he wondered why they were letting ShadowClan help him. Ally with them. Surely they'll take the opportunity to sink their teeth into our necks. Why had he even bothered starting a conversation with one of their vile offspring?
But it was too late to go back now, and he had to be civil for Twilightstar's sake. She'd recruited them for a reason. Swallowing his fury was like swallowing a ball of fire, but he managed. He tried not to glare or scowl at the she-cat and forced his fur to lie dormant, flat. He took a deep breath in, then out.
Lynxshade. Such a name fit a ShadowClan warrior. Not a warrior, he realized a heartbeat later. An Enforcer. His eyes narrowed slightly. They sounded like an elite rank. And that made her dangerous. Perhaps nearly as vile as Dawnstar herself if she had achieved such a standing.
But, once more, he had to be polite. Civil. An ally, although the word tasted like mouse bile on his tongue. Even more bitter was the fact that he was using his mother's teachings to keep good manners. I'm using them for a good cause. I'm nothing like her, he assured himself.
The situation only got worse as Lynxshade questioned him about why he'd left the deputy position. Hare-brain, Wolffang silently scolded himself. Why had he been such a fool? He'd hoped the mention of the deputy rank would be... what? Impressive? Wolffang didn't flaunt his status - he was not like that anymore and hadn't been for a long time - but, with a ShadowClan cat, he'd wanted to assume some sense of authority. Instill some sense of respect, perhaps. Or just allude to his old role. He wasn't sure, but now it seemed incredibly foolish. He didn't want to tell a ShadowClan Enforcer that he'd stepped down because he'd been stressed over challenging his mother's values. That was none of her business.
He didn't like the way her green eyes bored into his. However, he met her gaze evenly, stoically, and chose his next words carefully.
"Although the deputy experience was eye-opening and I relished serving my Clan in that way, I realized I'd be better off as a warrior," he meowed simply. Then he lowered his voice so no one but Lynxshade could hear the rest. "Probably good that I stepped down, too, because a pack of dogs attacked a patrol I was on, and I died of my wounds after making sure they all got back to camp. I was gone several moons; Twilightstar would've had to choose a new deputy, anyway. StarClan sent me back, as I'm sure you can tell."
Woah, where had that come from? Wolffang didn't go around spouting the story of his temporary death, either. Then it came to him. He'd wanted another excuse, another reason, for stepping down, even though he couldn't possibly have realized he was going to die. Then he'd wanted Lynxshade to know that stepping down wasn't a sign of weakness or cause for disdain if StarClan themselves had chosen to send him back. Not boasting or bragging or trying to garner attention, but not downgrading his worth. Or, more accurately, the worth of a WindClan warrior. He held the unusually spotted light gray she-cat's gaze, not challenging, but assertive.
They must not see us as weak. We are more worthy than them and always will be. We worship StarClan, and StarClan lets us survive. Not the Dark Forest.
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Some of my characters think or act in ways I disagree with. Please understand that I do not support or condone these thoughts or actions.
| Lightningstorm |
Flock Together [Tier 3] - Inactive | Mind Reader - Active
A smug smirk lit Lightningstorm's maw at Bravebird's threat, her brow raised in an expression that clearly stated oh really, now? Much as she distrusted the whole of WindClan and expected to die at their claws someday, she doubted Quills here was going to make good on that promise. There was too much of a danger involved with those quills. Too much infection. Too high a guarantee of death. It had been only through the careful study and dedication the healer had given the knowledge granted to her by Cowtuft that she had been able to save the fury so easily. Besides, she trusted the she-cat to have hopefully gained the sense to not go around rubbing cheeks with porcupines. Not if she wanted that little escapade to remain their little secret. And Crowtooth's... Oops.
"Joke's on you, love. I haven't touched my nest since Firestorm moved to the nursery."
Her response had meant to be light-hearted. An equal tease. Accidentally, she divulged more than she intended. Lightningstorm preferred her constant vigilance over the clan's herbs to be a secret. It would be harder to catch any rat trying to sneak in poison if they knew to expect her there. Preferring to not linger on the matter, however, she simply continued forward, hoping the older molly would let the matter lay and be forgotten. She didn't seem the type to purposefully poison the clan's stores, but word spread like fire in WindClan, gossip seemingly what kept the vultures satiated until they required another sacrifice for their bloodthirst to be quenched.
ShadowClan's arrival was rather punctual, not too much time having passed since the healer and her guard had gotten here themselves. The strong, musky scent of pines seemed to get ever more dominant the more cats gathered, and the lithe calico couldn't help but be grateful her mate was too pregnant to accompany them here today. Her propensity to get sick at the first hint of overpowering scents might have proved too much for her here today, and she would rather Firestorm not get killed over a bout of nausea brought upon by their allies or the minks they sought to kill. The medicine cat did allow herself a snort, however, at the lynx point's words. Wouldn't that be something? A ShadowClanner killing her before WindClan got their chance. It was almost worth dying to a betrayal if only to disappoint the rats.
Twilightstar and Dawnstar quickly got to talking, and the healer's large ears perked up, lapis hues alter to their every word. As the teams were discussed and the healer's roles mentioned, she took a step forward, staying on the ground while clearing her throat, calling to attention both leaders. Contrary to most WindClanners, Lightningstorm felt no real fear for the ShadowClan leader. In her entire life, ShadowClan had been the clan to provide the least amount of problems to the clan, and frankly, when one assumed your death could be attributed to a warrior you were supposed to call a clanmate just as much as to one that was to be seen as the enemy, the line blurred. Fear became less an issue, instead understanding that apprehension for any and every cat would probably be preferred. Otherwise, she would have left WindClan moons ago, if only to spare her sanity.
"If I may suggest to have one medicine cat take command at each territory being battled for? The minks' attacks can be brutal, and while we have been lucky so far, it wouldn't take much for one to be so devastatingly deadly that the injured warrior won't be able to make it back to a designated spot between the two regions. Not only that, but having all injured cats in one position might be asking for trouble. With the minks having taken hold of Windy Hills and Twilight Falls, it's fair to assume that other predators might be lurking in the comparable safety of the other locales. Bloodied up masses of injured warriors might seem like a tasty, easy snack while everyone else is too busy with the minks.
Not to mention that it would be far easier for me and Bravebird to team up and bring an injured feline to safety than to have warriors having to tear themselves from the battle to potentially drag an injured clanmate towards us," Lightningstorm continued, her whiskers twitching as she spoke, comfortable in her own pelt as she dealt with facts and logic, emotions being able to take pause for a moment at least. "Add enough instances of this happening, and you might find yourself outnumbered needlessly. Seems like a worse risk to take than to simply have the healers already there. If we stay at the fringes, we should be safe. If the minks get to us, then it might be fair to say that all hopes for this to be solved would be proper lost now, wouldn't it?"
Shrewstep was somewhat towards the rear of the Shadowclan cats, but he was able to catch the tail end of Twilightstar's speech, and get a general gist of what would occur. Mostly mink squashing. That was fun, he could squash minks. He saw that weird, ratty molly Rookscreech had hung out with before leaving Shadowclan, and shot her a glare. He was not a fan.
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All hail the Rat Queen's!!
Shrewstep has Silver Tongue and Mind Reader purrks
Pit has Just a Scratch and Beefed Up Tier 2
Spiraltail the young windclan warrior peered over at Hillstrider curiously he padded a little closer but still kept a safe distance. he flicked his tail over his paws anxiously
Hillstrider
ShadowClan
he/him | 18 moons
[Big fluffy orange tabby with yellow eyes]
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Hillstrider, who had been fully not paying attention to his surroundings--he had been gawking at all the WindClan cats--suddenly felt eyes on him. He turned, expecting someone from his own clan looking to speak to him, but instead he found a WindClanner shuffling his paws nearby! The orange tabby flashed Spiraltail a big grin and waved his tail in greeting. The tom seemed to start up a conversation with someone else, so Hillstrider didn't speak further, but it was cool to see cats mingling!
Fiery golden orbs slowly swept over the WindClan cats while a tattered, tufted, ear served to listen to the WindClan leader's voice. More than a few ShadowClanners were taking a chance to talk with WindClan. Mistlewhisker seemed to have made a friend in Crowtooth, those two were always chatting with each other at the Gatherings too.
Dawnstar had yet to perceive it as anything harmful, still, Mistlewhisker better not get too close to him. You never knew when she'd have to rip the bunnies apart again. Shocker, Tigerflower was here as well. Not that Dawnstar cared or anything. She didn't see him much, so it was weird, that was the only reason she even noticed him. Her gaze was drawn to Mossfreckle as he arrived a bit later than the rest of the clan, alongside several stragglers.
The mountainous molly didn't mind where she was placed. Since it was Twilightstar's territory she assumed the leader knew where it was best to place every cat. As for the medicine cat placement, it would be better to bring one each per patrol. Hawkfur? Which one was that again? Dawnstar was familiar with Bravebird, Batglare, and Crowtooth when recalling the names of WindClan cats. Oh, wait, there was Dapplebreeze and Leechscar, she wasn't fond of either, yet made it a prerogative to recall their names since she owned Moonmeadow's life to them.
The loud throat clearing got a low growl from Dawnstar. She tipped her head down to meet the steady blue of WindClan's medicine cat, Lightningstorm. She exuded confidence and self-assurance that she hoped Mossfreckle gained with time. Dawnstar listened quietly as she added her thoughts on what she felt was best for the medicine cats. If more ShadowClan cats learned to speak their minds in a manner that didn't tick Dawnstar off, communication would go better within ShadowClan. Lynxshade wasn't all that bad at it now that she thought it through. Nor were Hawkbite and Mistlewhisker usually.
Dawnstar glanced at Mossfreckle wondering if he had anything to add to that and looked back at the Lightningstorm and Twilightstar. "I've no problems killing the minks at your Windy Hills. It sounds like fun. I do want a portion of the minks killed though. They'll make fine prey and bedding for my Clan." Dawnstar yawned.
"I agree that it's better to bring one medicine cat to each location, so long as they're close enough to aid, but out of any serious dangers, it makes more sense to bring them then leave them behind. If extra herbs are needed, I trust you'll allow Mossfreckle to grab some in your territory. We'll return what's taken later if it's a bother." Dawnstar meowed to Twilightstar.
"Warriors wouldn't have to worry about being pulled from battle if a set rescue patrol in place. I think it's best to assign at least two other cats to primarily focus on pulling the severely injured from the battle and bringing them to the medicine cats. Sounds safer and less time consuming than having the medicine cats focus on both healing and rescuing the injured. Especially if multiple cats need to be brought in and treated." She advised.
Anyway, if the Queen of Mean was going to Windy Hills, she needed someone to keep order among the ShadowClanner that went with Twilightstar. Of course, all the lower ranks would be required to listen to the leaders, regardless of which clan they belonged too, but taking orders would be easier coming from one of their own. Dawnstar had Darkfall, Lynxshade, Silverlark, Mistlewhisker, and Hawkbite all here.
Interesting all of her Enforcers had tagged along on this trip. Mistlewhisker was the obvious choice to place in charge, but as the other three Enforcers she hadn't seen nearly as much as Mistlewhisker and Hawkbite, she'd give them a chance to redeem themselves. "Lynxshade, you'll be going with Twilightstar to help keep order amongst the ShadowClan cats accompanying her." She told the Enforcer.
And so it happened. The ShadowClan scum arrived, and the she-cat had to restrain herself from physically recoiling with a curled lip - though, it did little for the brief look of disgust that spread across her face. She remained standing, warily eyeing the vile beasts that dared to take over their home once, searching for any sign of betrayal or tricks. Silverrose was on high alert, but forced her fur to lay flat as she pulled the most neutral and polite expression she could muster, eyes soon landing on Twilightstar as she awaited further orders.
The windclan warrior padded over to Doeflame cautiously but there was no harshness in his eyes "Looks like everyone is getting along which is good he says softly. "Names Spiraltail yours?"
Doeflame
A WindClan warrior came over to her, and Doeflame greeted him with a wave of her tail. "Nice name, Spiraltail. I'm Doeflame." She grinned, her tail-tip still twitching with excitement. She would've sank her claws into the ground, but it was hard-packed dirt instead of the marsh she was used to, and Doeflame didn't want to wrench a claw before the battle even began. "Are you ready to kill some minks?"
A WindClan warrior came over to her, and Doeflame greeted him with a wave of her tail. "Nice name, Spiraltail. I'm Doeflame." She grinned, her tail-tip still twitching with excitement. She would've sank her claws into the ground, but it was hard-packed dirt instead of the marsh she was used to, and Doeflame didn't want to wrench a claw before the battle even began. "Are you ready to kill some minks?"
The tom nodded "I sure am I hate those pesky Minks" he wrapped his tail around his paws
as much as she disliked the idea of helping windclan, this wasn’t half bad. spring had most certainly sprung: the pines and spruce were no longer the only signs of life within the territory, flowers creeping from the undergrowth, birds calling from far above. it was nice to have a chance to admire the territory without being bogged down by the responsibilities of patrols and whatnot. yes, she could enjoy this. or, she could have enjoyed it if not for the muck clinging to her paws. euch. perfectly groomed fur began to clump together, a mess of tortoiseshell fur. and to think she had spent so much time on it earlier. tsk tsk, disrespected by a nonsentient substance.
the star comes to a stop behind her clanmates, green eyes observing the windswept forms of the cats before them. to think that windclan and shadowclan were approaching some sort of truce was odd. she’d never imagined it would be the villains of the nursery tales that would become their closest thing to a friend. simply poetic, a wonderful theatrical choice from dawnstar. no wonder she was the leader, the massive tabby was an expert storyteller, a master at tugging the threads of fate into intricate patterns that placed them ahead. yes, it was quite impressive.
as the two clans meshed, eyes alighted upon the form of their resident medicine cat, and she wandered towards him, holding the herbs above the crowd in an attempt to keep them from being mashed (or at least look like she was trying.) “hello, hello.” accenting her words with a smirk (it was hard to do so around the mouthful of plants, but she would manage), she placed the herbs gently on the ground. “if there’s anything else you need help with, please let me know.” look at her, she was so helpful.
She was a bit late, yep-yep, but It was fiiiine, there 'as no fighting yet! She was fine with
it. She hoped EV'RY one else would be fine with it. Too bad if not, yep! She'd give them an
earful, yep-yep! Nope, nope. Sorry, uhm... yep! That'd be bad. No causing problems. Unless
they involved beetles. In that case AaAaAllll those problems were a-okay, yep-yep! Lavender-
hued eyes bright, she followed her clan as they began to entwine with ShadowClan. She wanted
so badly to ask them if they ate and enjoyed frogs. She must! Blazesong's eyes were wide
with desire. She'd heard of that before, and now desperately desired to know. Her curiosity
was a gift and a curse, and yet here she was. It was a curse, at the moment. But oh, how
badly she wanted to fight the stupid minks who took far too many lives! She had to! The need
to do so was lodged in her throat.
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| Short post raah Open |
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"Prepare for the horrors
This night will keep repeating over and over
And over
Until you make it to the end"
Re: Whac-A-Mink [WC/ShC]
